Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Rhode Island

Coffee shops and cafes in Providence County, RI

The coffee shops and cafes in Providence County, RI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,346 of 2,063 scored counties
#2 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island

Listings
310
118 chain locations (38%)
Official establishments
267
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +15.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1B
On food away from home · $3,942 a household
Spending per listing
$3.3M
11% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.0
9% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
678,179
+2.8% since 2020

See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Providence County

The site report maps the coffee shops and cafes on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Providence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 310 coffee shops and cafes in Providence County. 118 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.0, 9% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.

Household spending on food away from home in Providence County comes to about $1B a year: $3,942 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. Spread across 310 coffee shops and cafes, that is $3.3M per cafe, 11% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 267 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Providence County in 2023, up 15.1% from 2019. That is one for every 971 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Official counts list 28 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $957K have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Providence County.

Population estimates put the population change in Providence County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Providence County is 41 (lower middle), #1,346 of 2,063 scored counties and #2 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island.

How Providence County compares

The same measures for Rhode Island and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the coffee shops and cafes counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Coffee shops and cafes in Providence County, RI compared with Rhode Island and the U.S.
MeasureProvidence CountyRhode IslandU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.013.211.0
Spending per listing$3.3M$3.2M$3.7M
Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars)9719071,518
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+15.1%+13.8%+24.3%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.8%+1.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,942$4,196$4,070
Median household income$78,787$87,796$80,734
Groundwork market score4133

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
232 → 267All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +15.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,571
Annual payroll, 2023
$75.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
28All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
310118 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
276The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$957K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Providence County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.

Population and households in Providence County

Population, 2025 estimate
678,179+2.8% since 2020
Households
259,210
Median age
39.4
Homes lived in by their owners
57%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
410 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,624
Median household income
$78,787+33.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$103,369
Median home value
$373,600
Jobs located here
293,972
Daytime population
648,043Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Providence County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the coffee shops and cafes on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Providence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Coffee shops and cafes across Rhode Island

Every Rhode Island market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Providence County marked.

Top counties in Rhode Island

Counties in Rhode Island ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Kent County, RI478211.3$3.9M+1.8%#1,133 of 2,063
2Providence County, RI4131012.0$3.3M+2.8%#1,346 of 2,063
3Bristol County, RI363215.9$3.1M−1.5%#1,556 of 2,063
4Newport County, RI305916.0$2.9M−2.9%#1,748 of 2,063
5Washington County, RI3010119.2$2.5M0.0%#1,754 of 2,063

Other business types in Providence County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Providence County, RI?

Providence County has 310 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 118 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 267 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 15.1% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts also show 28 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Providence County, RI spend on food away from home?

About $1B a year, or $3,942 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 310 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.3M per cafe. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes. It is estimated from the incomes of the 259,210 households in Providence County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Providence County, RI compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?

Providence County has 12.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.3M, 11% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Providence County would have about 276, against 310 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 971 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.

How fast is Providence County, RI growing?

Population estimates put Providence County at 678,179 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 259,210 households. The median household income in Providence County is $78,787 a year, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Providence County scores 41 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,346 of 2,063 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Providence County. It maps the coffee shops and cafes on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for coffee shops and cafes · All 56 business types in Providence County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Providence County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Providence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.